Gaëtan Bruel, president of the CNC, has rallied for stronger UK-French collaboration, telling an audience of UK and French producers at a BFI London Film Festival event: “We need you to be more ambitious about what France and the UK can create together.”
He spoke at a reception as part of the fourth iteration of the New Waves programme, which runs during the BFI London Film Festival, at London’s Institut Français.
The New Waves programme aims to foster collaboration between UK and French producers, with a programme of meetings and events held from October 8-10. Sixteen UK producers took part, including Debbie Gray of Genesius Pictures, Erebus Pictures’ Helen Simmons, Shudder Films’ Jack Tarling, Bêtes Sauvages’ James Watson and See-Saw Films’ Lily Brook.
From France, 12 producers included Jean-Benoît Gillig of Léonis Productions, Justin Pechberty of Les Valseurs and 24 25 Films’ Thibault Gast.
Bruel called on UK filmmakers and producers, “Bring us more projects – come and work with French producers,” and pointed towards LFF opening night film Elsinore as an example of UK and French collaboration thanks to the involvement of French-owned Studiocanal and Pathe.
Concrete projects
He pointed to the CNC’s Aide aux Cinémas du Monde (World Cinema Aid) fund, which last year increased its budget to €8m, and is open to non-French filmmakers wishing to co-produce with France.
“There is sometimes a misconception about this fund – it’s not reserved for filmmakers from a particular part of the world; British filmmakers can apply, international filmmakers based in Britain can apply,” he said.
UK-France co-productions to access this fund have included Sandhya Suri’s Cannes 2024 premiere Santosh, Jessica Hausner’s Cannes 2023 premiere Club Zero and Rungano Nyoni’s 2017 Directors’ Fortnight titleI Am Not A Witch.
BFI CEO Ben Roberts flagged the UK Global Screen Fund as the UK’s “invitation to partner and co-produce. We have tools at our disposal.”
From the French perspective, the UK’s links to the US industry are valuable. “You are deeply part of the European creative community, while also being closely connected to the American industry, and few countries are better placed to help keep both sides around the same table,” said Bruel.
Of the relationship between the two countries post-Brexit, Bruel noted, “The CNC and the BFI made a very deliberate choice. Our institutional relationship should not become weaker simply because the political framework around us had changed. Over the past few years, we have tried to make this relationship increasingly relevant… Our producers meet regularly, our teams exchange constantly.”
“The resilience of our friendship with our friends at the CNC has been one of our guiding north stars,” said Roberts. “What I would call the mycelium network of creativity and financial networks and distribution relationships that exist between the UK and France are very deeply connected.”
Last year, the CNC signed a Moving Image Cooperation Agreement with the BFI – the first time the BFI has done so with a European country – and a memorandum of understanding with the British Film Commission (BFC).
“Let’s say that institutions can build bridges, but ultimately producers and filmmakers have to cross them,” said Bruel. “Here we have some room for improvement, but looking at the quality of the producers gathered here on both sides of the channel, I am convinced that the potential is here. The question is how we can now turn that potential into more concrete projects.”
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